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Lesson: Japanese Swords and Trade Asian Art Museum of SF, 2017

John Muller, Alameda Unified School District (retired)

LESSON SUMMARY

Course Focus Question: How did distant regions of the world become more interconnected during the medieval and early modern period?

Unit Focus Question: How did Japan’s position on the edge of the world give rise to its unique culture?

Lesson Focus Question: What do swords reveal about the exchange between Japan and mainland Asia?

Lesson Teaching Thesis: The trade in Japanese swords is representative of the exchanges that were so important to Japan’s cultural development at the edge of the world. Japan contributed value to the globalizing economy in the form of swords and other goods, like sulfur and lacquerware in exchange for the goods and ideas from the Asian mainland, such as textiles, books, and artworks that were adopted and adapted by Japanese society.

History-Social Science Framework Alignment: What were the multiple ways people of different cultures interacted at sites of encounter? What were the effects of their interactions?

Historical Analysis Concepts: Evidence, Cause and Consequence (see link)

History-Social Science Content Standard: WH7.5.1 Discuss the significance of Japan’s proximity to China and Korea and the intellectual, linguistic, religious, and philosophical influences of those countries on Japan.

Common Core Reading and Writing Standard(s): RH 1) Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources. RH 2) determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions. WHST 1b) Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and evidence that demonstrate an understanding of the topic or text, using credible sources.

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Japanese Swords and Trade Asian Art Museum of SF, 2017

LESSON DISCUSSION The word value connotes two ideas. In a social context, value describes the importance of an object or idea within the belief system of a particular group. In an economic context, value refers to the monetary worth of an object. Warfare in Medieval Japan was the sole responsibility of a class of specialized warriors called samurai. Samurai were skilled with bow and arrow, but their main weapon was the sword. Consequently, sword making was an art form. A sword’s steel was hard but not brittle. Its edges were razor sharp. The sword held special value to the samurai. They took great pride in possessing a high quality weapon. They had different length swords for different purposes. They were specially designed and made to be effective weapons in the type of combat samurai did. The samurai sword could do a lot of damage to the human body, slashing, stabbing, and severing body parts. Warfare was bloody and brutal. Swords, however, were not made solely for samurai warriors; they became significant trade goods in the exchange between Japan and mainland Asia.

SOURCES AND LEARNING STRATEGIES

Museum Artifact:

Unknown craftsman. Short sword (wakizashi) and Long sword (katana) with blade mountings. Japan, Muromachi period (1333–1573), forged and tempered steel,

sharkskin, black lacquer, gold on bronze. From the Avery Brundage Collection, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.

Supplemental Sources:

Text: “Trade in pre-modern Japan,” Andrea Horbinski (UC Berkeley: 2017), adapted from Charlotte von Verschuer, Across the Perilous Sea (2006).

Table: “Exports from Japan to China in 1453,” adapted from Charlotte von Verschuer, Across the Perilous Sea (2006). Learning Strategies (literacy and/or historical thinking):

● Heading and Highlighting (text close reading)● Primary Source Analysis

Synthesis Activity/Assessment:

● Writing Mini-Prompt

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READING FOR MAIN IDEAHeadings & Highlights

Directions: ● In small groups (3 or 4 students), read the text and through discussion, come to a

consensus on an appropriate heading or title for each section. ● Re-read the text and highlight or underline key words, lines, and phrases (evidence)

that best illustrate the headings. ● As a whole class, discuss the headings and reasoning,based on evidence.

Source: “Trade in pre-modern Japan,” Andrea Horbinski (UC Berkeley: 2017).

Context: We’ve seen in our studies that Japan acquired many important products and ideas from China and Korea. These products and ideas came to Japan primarily through trade. The following reading gives a general description of how that trade developed.

Lesson Focus Question: What do swords reveal about the exchange between Japan and mainland Asia?

Trade in Pre-modern Japan: An Overview (Heading and Highlighting)

Heading 1: ________________________________________________________________

After it reorganized itself on the Chinese model, the Japanese state took part in tributary

exchanges with China from the seventh to the ninth centuries CE: the tributary system and

the exchange of embassies between states on the Korean peninsula were ways for the

Japanese state to acquire luxury goods, for which they traded small handmade goods or

small quantities of metal. The Chinese court saw the tribute system as an

acknowledgement of China’s cultural superiority. The goods that foreign governments

gave to the imperial court were expressions of submission to the Chinese emperor. The

Japanese state, however, engaged in the tribute system because it was the easiest way to

conduct trade and to acquire goods to which they would not otherwise have had access, not

because they saw themselves as inferior or subordinate to China.

Not coincidentally, once merchants from the continent and the peninsula began making

regular trips to Japan, the embassies to the Chinese court stopped, and while the Japanese

state claimed the right to regulate and to conduct trade with foreign, principally Chinese

merchants, powerful aristocrats increasingly began conducting foreign trade they without

court approval.



Heading 2: ____________________________________________________________________________________

In this period, Japan imported raw materials for perfumes and medicines, as well as rare

textiles and Chinese ceramics, particularly celadons and porcelain, both directly from China

and via the Korean peninsula. Japan also imported Chinese books, which were essential to

Japanese culture, along with small amounts of furs, bamboo, and exotic animals. For

exports, Japan--which was a notable metal producer before the 18 th century--sent out gold,

metals, sulfur, and pearls, as well as paper, construction wood, mother-of-pearl items such

as high-quality lacquerware, and fans and swords.

Heading 3: ________________________________________________________________

After this came an era of free trade in the 12th to 14th centuries, when the imperial court lost what

control it had over trade and when Japanese people went out to begin trading in their own right in

large numbers for the first time. Some of them became the first Japanese pirates, who seem to

have preyed particularly on the coasts of the Korean peninsula. In this era, Japan also began

importing large quantities of Chinese metal currency as a commodity rather than as a medium of

exchange; although people did sometimes use Chinese money to settle payments, rice and cloth

remained the primary forms of currency. After the 13th century, tea also became an increasingly

common import, and by the mid-13th century, Japanese agents had entirely taken over the China

trade, even as the Kamakura bakufu was unable to exert control over trade throughout the

archipelago. The late 14th to 16th centuries saw the growth of the economy and trade within Japan,

as well as the emergence of what was in face a free market in the forms of merchant

cooperatives, periodic markets, and wholesalers.



DATA ANALYSIS ACTIVITY

Exports from Japan to China in 1453 Source: “Exports from Japan to China in 1453,” adapted from Charlotte von Verschuer, Across the Perilous Sea (2006).

Context: Information organized into charts and tables provides easy access to evidence. This chart helps us understand the value of selected Japanese trade goods (including swords) to the Chinese mainland.

Directions: After examining the tables, and determining the value of trade goods, respond to the questions.

Exports from Japan to China in 1453

Products Quantity Value per Unit in China, calculated

in coins*

Total Value

Sapanwood (lbs.) 106,000 70

Sulfur (lbs.) 364,400 50

Copper Ore (lbs.) 152,000 60

Long Swords 417 6,000

Short Swords 9,483 6,000

Fans 250 figure unknown

Gilt Bronze Pitchers figure unknown

4,000

Gold Lacquerware 643 600

*While the value of trade goods are given in “coins”, actual trade between Japan and the mainland was usually in the form of goods exchanged for other goods and not cash transactions



Directions: Use the information from both the text and data chart to answer the questions.

Comprehension Questions

1. Why did Japan trade with the mainland?

2. Who conducted trade between Japan and the mainland?

3. What goods were traded between Japan and China?

4. Based on data in the chart, what were the most valuable trade goods for the Japanese?

Interpretive questions

5. Who would likely buy and use these traded goods?

6. What can the prices of Japanese swords tell us about the demand for swords?

7. What might the value of Japanese exports mean for Japanese imports?



ARTIFACT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY

Using Artifacts to Understand the Past - Japanese Swords

As with historical documents, artifacts can reveal a great deal about the cultures and people who created and used them.

Steps to Analyzing Artifacts: ● We pose the question: What can this artifact tell us about these people and these

times?● We first try to identify the artifact as best we can to determine the historical context

of the artifact: time frame, creator/author, audience/users, and purpose/uses. ● The next step in analysis, requires a close examination of the artifact, and the

recording of our observations. ● Next, we make inferences about the artifact, analyzing our observations in the

context of our historical knowledge about the people and times. ● Finally, we use our inferences to construct narratives that help us answer our

inquiry question

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Inquiry Question: What might have been the appeal of Japanese swords for consumers in China and other countries? (Why might people want to buy these swords?)

Source: Unknown craftsman, Short sword (wakizashi) and Long sword (katana) with blade mountings, Japan, Muromachi period (1333–1573).

Materials: Forged and tempered steel, sharkskin, black lacquer, gold on bronze.

Context: We are examining images of two Japanese samurai swords, sheathed and unsheathed. We are considering them not as weapons of war but as trade goods.



Using Artifacts to Understand the Past - Japanese Swords

Unsheathed Sword: Unknown craftsman, Short sword (wakizashi) and Long sword (katana) with blade mountings, Japan, Muromachi period (1333–1573).

Sheathed Sword: Unknown craftsman, Short sword (wakizashi) and Long sword (katana) with blade mountings, Japan, Muromachi period (1333–1573).



Inquiry Question: What might have been the appeal of Japanese swords for consumers in China and other countries? Artifact:

Creator:

Possible Users:

Place and Time:

Observe the swords carefully. What do you see?List or sketch specific details.

Considering our research into trade between Japan and mainland Asia, why would Japanese swords be seen as valuable goods for trade?



WRITING MINI-PROMPT Lesson Focus Question: How did swords represent the exchange between Japan and mainland Asia? Directions: Write a paragraph in response to the the lesson focus question. Use your notes from the reading and data chart on trade and your observations and interpretations of the sword images as sources of evidence.

The opening to your paragraph has been provided for you.

The import of goods and ideas from mainland Asia is a well-documented factor in the

development of Japanese culture. But trade is a two-way transaction and it was the value of

Japanese products, such as swords that enabled these imports. ____________________________



READING FOR MAIN IDEAHeadings & Highlights (Key)

Directions: ● In small groups (3 or 4 students), read the text and through discussion, come to a

consensus on an appropriate heading or title for each section. ● Re-read the text and highlight or underline key words, lines, and phrases (evidence)

that best illustrate the headings. ● As a whole class, discuss the headings and reasoning,based on evidence.

Source: “Trade in pre-modern Japan,” Andrea Horbinski (UC Berkeley: 2017).

Context: We’ve seen in our studies that Japan acquired many important products and ideas from China and Korea. These products and ideas came to Japan primarily through trade. The following reading gives a general description of how that trade developed.

Trade in Pre-modern Japan: An Overview (Heading and Highlighting)

(Possible responses)

Heading 1: _Opening the Chinese market___________________________________________

After it reorganized itself on the Chinese model, the Japanese state took part in tributary

exchanges with China from the seventh to the ninth centuries CE: the tributary system and

the exchange of embassies between states on the Korean peninsula were ways for the

Japanese state to acquire luxury goods, for which they traded small handmade goods or

small quantities of metal. The Chinese court saw the tribute system as an

acknowledgement of China’s cultural superiority. The goods that foreign governments

gave to the imperial court were expressions of submission to the Chinese emperor. The

Japanese state, however, engaged in the tribute system because it was the easiest way to

conduct trade and to acquire goods to which they would not otherwise have had access, not

because they saw themselves as inferior or subordinate to China.

Not coincidentally, once merchants from the continent and the peninsula began making

regular trips to Japan, the embassies to the Chinese court stopped, and while the Japanese

state claimed the right to regulate and to conduct trade with foreign, principally Chinese

merchants, powerful aristocrats increasingly began conducting foreign trade they without

court approval.

Heading 2: ____Trade Goods_________________________________________________________________



In this period, Japan imported raw materials for perfumes and medicines, as well as rare

textiles and Chinese ceramics, particularly celadons and porcelain, both directly from China

and via the Korean peninsula. Japan also imported Chinese books, which were essential to

Japanese culture, along with small amounts of furs, bamboo, and exotic animals. For

exports, Japan--which was a notable metal producer before the 18th century--sent out gold,

metals, sulfur, and pearls, as well as paper, construction wood, mother-of-pearl items such

as high-quality lacquerware, and fans and swords.

Heading 3: __Evolution of Trade____________________________________________

After this came an era of free trade in the 12th to 14th centuries, when the imperial court lost what

control it had over trade and when Japanese people went out to begin trading in their own right in

large numbers for the first time. Some of them became the first Japanese pirates, who seem to

have preyed particularly on the coasts of the Korean peninsula. In this era, Japan also began

importing large quantities of Chinese metal currency as a commodity rather than as a medium of

exchange; although people did sometimes use Chinese money to settle payments, rice and cloth

remained the primary forms of currency. After the 13th century, tea also became an increasingly

common import, and by the mid-13th century, Japanese agents had entirely taken over the China

trade, even as the Kamakura bakufu was unable to exert control over trade throughout the

archipelago. The late 14th to 16th centuries saw the growth of the economy and trade within Japan,

as well as the emergence of what was in face a free market in the forms of merchant

cooperatives, periodic markets, and wholesalers.

DATA ANALYSIS ACTIVITY (Key)




Source: “Exports from Japan to China in 1453,” adapted from Charlotte von Verschuer, Across the Perilous Sea (2006).

Context: Information organized into charts and tables provides easy access to evidence. This chart helps us understand the value of selected Japanese trade goods (including swords) to the Chinese mainland.

Directions: After examining the tables, and determining the value of trade goods, respond to the questions.


Products Quantity Value per Unit in China, calculated

in coins*

Total Value

Sapanwood (lbs.) 106,000 70 7,420,000

Sulfur (lbs.) 364,400 50 18,220,000

Copper Ore (lbs.) 152,000 60 9,120,000

Long Swords 417 6,000 2,502,000

Short Swords 9,483 6,000 56,898,000

Fans 250 figure unknown

Gilt Bronze Pitchers figure unknown

4,000

Gold Lacquerware 643 600 385,800

*While the value of trade goods are given in “coins”, actual trade between Japan and the mainland was usually in the form of goods exchanged for other goods and not cash transactions

Directions: Use the information from both the text and data chart to answer the questions.

Comprehension Questions (key)

1. Why did Japan trade with the mainland?

...to obtain luxury goods and other items they otherwise wouldn’t have had access



2. Who conducted trade between Japan and the mainland?

first the Japanese state,then powerful Japanese aristocratslater merchant cooperatives and wholesalers

3. What goods were traded between Japan and China?

(imports) raw materials for perfumes and medicines, textiles, ceramics, Chinese books, furs, bamboo, exotic animals(exports) gold, metals, sulfur, pearls, paper, construction wood,mother of pearl items such as lacquerware, also fansand swords

4. Based on data in the chart, what were the most valuable trade goods for the Japanese?

short swords

Interpretive questions (potential answers)

5. Who would likely buy and use these traded goods?

soldiers, military suppliers, wealthy aristocrats

6. What can the prices of Japanese swords tell us about the demand for swords?

people wanted Japanese swords to the extent that they would pay a very high price to obtain them

7. What might the value of Japanese exports mean for Japanese imports?

The high value of Japanese swords as exports meant that Japan could import a great many Chinese rpoducts

Analyzing a Primary Source (key)Inquiry Question: What might have been the appeal of Japanese swords for consumers in China and other countries?



Artifact: Short sword (wakizashi) and long swords (katana) forged and tempered steel, sheathed and unsheathedCreator: unknown craftsmanPossible Users: samurai warriors, Japanese merchants, wealthy aristocratsPlace and Time: Japan. Muromachi period (1333-1573)

Observe the swords carefully. What do you see? List or sketch specific details.

One sword shorter than the other decorated handle (gold?)

Blades curved shiny finish

Single edged sheathes shiny, black and white, dotted

Pointed blue cord tied around

Grooved along side black cap on end

Considering our research into trade between Japan and mainland Asia, why would Japanese swords be seen as valuable goods for trade? (possible responses)

Japanese swords were high quality weapons. They would be very effective in combat, doing great damage to an enemy. The two lengths could be used in different fighting situations. The swords were beautiful examples of fine craftsmanship and might be considered artworks in themselves. All of these reasons made Japanese swords desirable products. Buyers were willing to pay high prices for them.


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